Why Your Body Doesn’t Need to Be Seasonal

graphic by sophie sternkopf

Like it or not, it’s officially fall. That means we’re one step closer to another painfully cold Syracuse winter and rapidly moving toward the part of the semester where it’s socially acceptable to wear an oversized sweatshirt and baggy sweatpants at the same time (hey, we gotta survive those long walks to COVID-19 testing somehow!). For many of us, though, fall and winter aren’t just a time for cozy fits and seasonal Starbucks; they’re also the few months of the year where it’s okay to “let go” of the societal expectations of the perfect summer bod – at least, that’s what we’ve been told. Summer’s over! No more bikini pics! You can finally relax and eat what you want! Right? 

Maybe not. We’ve all either heard about it or aspired to it: the coveted “beach body,” a universal sign of summertime sex appeal and self-control. What a load of bullsh*t. For most of us, the process of achieving that summer body is significantly more damaging than just loving our bodies year-round. That’s because the very core of “seasonal” bodies is weight cycling (aka yo-yo dieting), a process of repeatedly gaining and losing weight. It’s notoriously bad for your health and is linked to depression, low self-esteem, and disordered eating. Allowing yourself to gain a few pounds in colder months and then fighting to lose the weight in the spring – year after year – is exhausting. It’s especially difficult when the whole world seems to be encouraging you to obsess over that damn number on the scale (yeah, we’re looking at you TikTok). 

Even if a beach body was a sign of health and discipline, you still wouldn’t need one. That’s right: You don’t owe it to anyone to be perfectly healthy! And let’s be real – a lot of people who do have “beach bodies” probably aren’t perfectly healthy either. So we can safely say that summer bodies are mostly about aesthetics and the whole ~health~ thing was more of an afterthought. 

Look. School is stressful, the current job market is terrifying, and seasonal depression is right around the corner. We totally get the appeal of “letting your body go” now and then dieting all spring to get your beach body back. We’ve been there too. But maybe it’s time to break out of that cycle! Stop going hungry, let your body be, and realize that whatever your body looks like come Summer 2021, it is still a beach body. 

Swimsuits may be seasonal, but bodies are not – and they will never be.